Mechanical bill-carrying apparatus.



No. 646,509. Patented Apr. 3, |900.A

, A. w. THlEnKoFF. MECHANICAL BILL CARRYING APPARATUS.

(Applicgtion led July 20 1899.) (No Model.) l

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANTHONY W. THIERKOFF, OF REDDING, CALIFORNIA M ECHANICAL BILL-CARRYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 646,509, dated April 3, 1900. Application led July 20, 1899. Serial No. 724,502. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LANTHONY W. THIER- KOFF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Redding, county of Shasta, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Mechanical Bill and Account Carrying Apparatus; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

Myinvention relates to an apparatus which is designed for the convenient arranging and posting of bills.

It consists of a desk, a hollow drum jonrnaled and rotatable within the desk, said drum having slots made through it and springclamps mounted with relation to the slots, so that a large number of bills may be conveniently carried upon the drum, ameans for indexing the drum to correspond with the ledger-index, openings through which the bills may be inspected or reached, and a hinged door to the front of the desk or case, with a supporting-bracket upon which it may be turned down, so as to form a convenient desk for posting from the drum to ledger.

` Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is an end section through the apparatus. Fig. 2' is a front view of the drum. Fig. 3 shows the manner of using the slips.,`

The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus in which all the accounts with different individuals may be carried, said accounts being itemized and in the form of-bills which may be presented whenever required without the necessity of turning to a ledger and making up an account. v

A is a casing which is conveniently made to form a desk. Within this casing is journaled a hollow drum B, the shaft of which turns in suitable boxes at the ends, and projecting through at one end it has a wheel or means by which it can be rotated at will. This drum has a practically-unobstructed hollow inte-V rior and slots b, made longitudinally from end to end in its face at sufficient intervals apart, as six inches or more, to form tabular surfaces adapted to receive the bills which are to be carried upon the drum.

The bills are made upon slips of paper II and are held upon the drum or cylinder by elastic clamps D. These clamps may be mounted in any suitable manner. In the preshead of the bill or slip, andthe other end of the slip, which is long enough for the purpose, passes through the next slot and into the interior of the drum, which contains any length of the bill greater than the distance between the slots. This end is held by the clamp upon the adjacent side of the rod, and thus bills are spread and maintained in position upon the cylinder.

'Ihe n ames of persons to whom the bills and entries are made may be indexed upon one side or at the center of the cylinder, if desired. In order to properly index the names and to arrange for convenient alterations in the indexing, I have shown the letters of the alphabet made upon dat disks F, which form the heads of screws,`and these screws are removably inserted into the face of the cylinder along the lines of the spaces carrying the bills and the names under each letter. A cylinder made in this way may be as much as two feet or more in diameter and three feet or more in length and have a surface sufficient to carry any desired number of bills. Each entry thus made is readily visible when the cylinder is turned to the proper position.

In the upper part of the casing A is a slidable door or gate A', which forms an inclined surface convenient for desk purposes, but which maybe slid back into a groove or channel a when itis desired to have access directly to the drum from this point. The top of the sliding door A may be glazed, so that the drum and its contents can be seen without opening the slide. At the door of the case is an opening and al hinged or falling door or gate G, which normally closes this opening.

I represents hinged swinging brackets which are turnable to lie against the side of the desk when not in use or to be extended, so as to form a supportfor the door G when the latter is let down. In this position the door serves to support any of the books which it is desired to consult in connection with the entries upon the drum, and posting can be conveniently done at this point.

By the use of this apparatus all accounts ICO are at all times itemized and to be used in connection with the day-book. The daily accounts are forwarded from the day-book to the bills on the cylinder and need not be posted into the ledger until the last of the month or week, or whenever the collectionday occurs. Whenever a customer desires to paya bill, it is always ready and itemized, without any necessity of going to the ledger to examine the acconntto make out an itemized bill. At the last of the month or other designated period of' time these bills may be taken off the cylinder in rotation, one row after another, and placed on the bill-file. Each bill has the number of the ledger-page, and the index of the ledger need not be referred to. The balance due can be carried to the ledger and the itemized bill is in condition for collection at any time. By thus itemizing the account on the bill and only the balance on the ledger a considerable saving in space is effected.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, a nd desire to secu re by Letters Patent, is-

l. An apparatus for mechanically carrying bills and accounts comprising a rotatable drum having its circumference formed with extended tabular surfaces separated from each other by slots which extend parallel with the axis of the drum, and clamps on the exterior of t-he drum and disposed directly over said slots, and having arms or members extending in opposite direct-ions and adapted to clamp slips or bills upon the tabular surfaces ofthe drum.

2. In an' apparatus of the character described lthe combination of a drum having asurface slotted at intervals to form intermediate tabular surfaces for independent slips or bills, and double-armed clamps disposed over the slots so that each arm clamps a slip or bill to one of adjacent tabular surfaces, said slips or bills adapted to enter the slots to the interior of the drum.

3. The combination of a drum longitudinally slotted at intervals to form independent tabular surfaces adapted to receive slips or bills, means for clamping the slips or bills upon the tabular surfaces and permitting the ends of the bills to enter said slots to the interior of the drum, and a removable indexletter attached to each tabular surface.

4. The combination, in an apparatus for mechanically holding and exhibiting itemized individual accounts, of a desk, a hollow drum revoluble within said desk and having a substantially-unobstructed interior and a periph' ery slotted to form independent tabular surfaces adapted to hold slips or bills, the surplus length of which slips or bills enters t-he slots to the interior of the drum, means for clamping the slips or bills upon the tabular surfaces, and movable doors connected with the desk and through which the slips or bills may be inspected and reached.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ANTHONY W. THIERKOFF. Witnesses:

MINNIE E. IIUME, FRANK W. SMITH. 

